scarfninja the scribe

"Once upon a time, @scarfninja1795 decided to open a writing blog..." I really like to talk about writing. But because my main blog is a mosh-posh of thoughts, I decided to open one seperately to discuss all things writing related. Main Check me out on NaNoWriMo! Current Project Status: ~The Twilight Court - prepping for Draft #2 ~

[writingadvice1]

60 Awesome Search Engines for Serious Writers

[referenceforwriters]

Finding the information you need as a writer shouldn’t be a chore. Luckily, there are plenty of search engines out there that are designed to help you at any stage of the process, from coming up with great ideas to finding a publisher to get your work into print. Both writers still in college and those on their way to professional success will appreciate this list of useful search applications that are great from making writing a little easier and more efficient.

Professional

Find other writers, publishers and ways to market your work through these searchable databases and search engines.

Litscene: Use this search engine to search through thousands of writers and literary projects, and add your own as well.

Thinkers.net: Get a boost in your creativity with some assistance from this site.

PoeWar: Whether you need help with your career or your writing, this site is full of great searchable articles.

Publisher’s Catalogues: Try out this site to search through the catalogs and names of thousands of publishers.

Edit Red: Through this site you can showcase your own work and search through work by others, as well as find helpful FAQ’s on writing.

Writersdock: Search through this site for help with your writing, find jobs and join other writers in discussions.

PoetrySoup: If you want to find some inspirational poetry, this site is a great resource.

Booksie.com: Here, you can search through a wide range of self-published books.

One Stop Write Shop: Use this tool to search through the writings of hundreds of other amateur writers.

Writer’s Cafe: Check out this online writer’s forum to find and share creative works.

Literary Marketplace: Need to know something about the publishing industry? Use this search tool to find the information you need now.

Writing

These helpful tools will help you along in the writing process.

WriteSearch: This search engine focuses exclusively on sites devoted to reading and writing to deliver its results.

The Burry Man Writers Center: Find a wealth of writing resources on this searchable site.

Writing.com: This fully-featured site makes it possible to find information both fun and serious about the craft of writing.

Purdue OWL: Need a little instruction on your writing? This tool from Purdue University can help.

Writing Forums: Search through these writing forums to find answers to your writing issues.

Research

Try out these tools to get your writing research done in a snap.

Google Scholar: With this specialized search engine from Google, you’ll only get reliable, academic results for your searches.

WorldCat: If you need a book from the library, try out this tool. It’ll search and find the closest location.

Scirus: Find great scientific articles and publications through this search engine.

OpenLibrary: If you don’t have time to run to a brick-and-mortar library, this online tool can still help you find books you can use.

Online Journals Search Engine: Try out this search engine to find free online journal articles.

All Academic: This search engine focuses on returning highly academic, reliable resources.

LOC Ask a Librarian: Search through the questions on this site to find helpful answers about the holdings at the Library of Congress.

Encylcopedia.com: This search engine can help you find basic encyclopedia articles.

Clusty: If you’re searching for a topic to write on, this search engine with clustered results can help get your creative juices flowing.

Intute: Here you’ll find a British search engine that delivers carefully chosen results from academia.

AllExperts: Have a question? Ask the experts on this site or search through the existing answers.

Reference

Need to look up a quote or a fact? These search tools make it simple.

Writer’s Web Search Engine: This search engine is a great place to find reference information on how to write well.

Bloomsbury Magazine Research Centre: You’ll find numerous resources on publications, authors and more through this search engine.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus: Make sure you’re using words correctly and can come up with alternatives with the help of this tool.

References.net: Find all the reference material you could ever need through this search engine.

Quotes.net: If you need a quote, try searching for one by topic or by author on this site.

Literary Encyclopedia: Look up any famous book or author in this search tool.

Acronym Finder: Not sure what a particular acronym means? Look it up here.

Bartleby: Through Bartleby, you can find a wide range of quotes from famous thinkers, writers and celebrities.

Wikipedia.com: Just about anything and everything you could want to look up is found on this site.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Find all the great philosophers you could want to reference in this online tool.

Niche Writers

If you’re focusing on writing in a particular niche, these tools can be a big help.

PubGene: Those working in sci-fi or medical writing will appreciate this database of genes, biological terms and organisms.

GoPubMd: You’ll find all kinds of science and medical search results here.

Jayde: Looking for a business? Try out this search tool.

Zibb: No matter what kind of business you need to find out more about, this tool will find the information.

TechWeb: Do a little tech research using this news site and search engine.

Google Trends: Try out this tool to find out what people are talking about.

Godchecker: Doing a little work on ancient gods and goddesses? This tool can help you make sure you have your information straight.

Healia: Find a wide range of health topics and information by using this site.

Sci-Fi Search: Those working on sci-fi can search through relevant sites to make sure their ideas are original.

Books

Find your own work and inspirational tomes from others by using these search engines.

Literature Classics: This search tool makes it easy to find the free and famous books you want to look through.

InLibris: This search engine provides one of the largest directories of literary resources on the web.

SHARP Web: Using this tool, you can search through the information on the history of reading and publishing.

AllReaders: See what kind of reviews books you admire got with this search engine.

BookFinder: No matter what book you’re looking for you’re bound to find it here.

ReadPrint: Search through this site for access to thousands of free books.

Google Book Search: Search through the content of thousands upon thousands of books here, some of which is free to use.

Indie Store Finder: If you want to support the little guy, this tool makes it simple to find an independent bookseller in your neck of the woods.

Blogging

For web writing, these tools can be a big help.

Technorati: This site makes it possible to search through millions of blogs for both larger topics and individual posts.

Google Blog Search: Using this specialized Google search engine, you can search through the content of blogs all over the web.

Domain Search: Looking for a place to start your own blog? This search tool will let you know what’s out there.

OpinMind: Try out this blog search tool to find opinion focused blogs.

IceRocket: Here you’ll find a real-time blog search engine so you’ll get the latest news and posts out there.

PubSub: This search tool scours sites like Twitter and Friendfeed to find the topics people are talking about most every day.

[wordsnstuff]

Resources For Describing Emotion

Emotions

Without Making Your Character Feel Too Self Aware

Showing Emotion Without Telling About It

Emotions Associated With Body Language

Telling Readers What The Character Doesn’t Want To Show

Hiding Emotions

Expressing Cardinal Emotions: Masculine vs. Feminine

Writing Extreme Emotion Without Melodrama

Specific Emotions

Conveying Shock

Conveying Embarrassment

Conveying Disappointment

Conveying Love/Attraction

Conveying Annoyance

Conveying Relief

Conveying Uncertainty

Conveying Impatience

Conveying Shame

Conveying Resentment

Conveying Panic

Conveying Guilt

Conveying Desperation

Conveying Sarcasm & Verbal Disrespect

Conveying Confusion

Conveying Stubbornness

Conveying Frustration

Conveying Indifference

Conveying Indignation

Conveying Confidence & Pride

Conveying Smugness

Conveying Enthusiasm

Conveying Curiosity

Conveying Hopefulness

Conveying Unease

Conveying Reluctance

Conveying Worry

Conveying Humility & Meekness

Conveying Happiness & Joy

Conveying Amusement

Conveying Disgust

Conveying Resignation

Conveying Jealousy

Conveying Anticipation

Conveying Contentment

Conveying Defeat

Conveying Excitement

Conveying Fear

Conveying Hatred

Conveying Hurt

Conveying Being Overwhelmed

Conveying Sadness & Grief

Conveying Satisfaction

Conveying Somberness

Conveying Sympathy & Empathy

Conveying Wariness

Conveying Defensiveness

Conveying Desire

Conveying Doubt

Conveying Energy

Conveying Exhaustion

Conveying Hunger

Conveying Loneliness

Conveying Physical Pain

Emotional Wounds

A Role Model Who Disappoints

A Sibling’s Betrayal

A Speech Impediment

Becoming a Caregiver at an Early Age

Being Bullied

Being Fired or Laid Off

Being Held Captive

Being Mugged

Being Publicly Humiliated

Being Raised by Neglectful Parents

Being Raised by Overprotective Parents

Being So Beautiful It’s All People See

Being the Victim of a Vicious Rumor

Being Stalked

Being Trapped in a Collapsed Building

Being Unfairly Blamed For The Death of Another

Childhood Sexual Abuse (by a family member or known person)

Discovering One’s Parent is a Monster

Discovering One’s Sibling was Abused

Experiencing a Miscarriage or Stillbirth

Failing At School

Failing To Do The Right Thing

Financial Ruin Due To A Spouse’s Irresponsibility

Finding Out One’s Child Was Abused

Finding Out One Was Adopted

Getting Lost In a Natural Environment

Growing Up In A Cult

Growing Up in a Dangerous Neighborhood

Growing Up In Foster Care

Growing Up In The Public Eye

Growing Up In The Shadow of a Successful Sibling

Growing Up with a Sibling Who Has a Chronic Disability or Illness

Having Parents Who Favored One Child Over Another

Having To Kill Another Person To Survive

Infertility

Infidelity (emotional or physical)

Losing a Limb

Losing a Loved One To A Random Act of Violence

Making a Very Public Mistake

Overly Critical or Strict Parents

Physical Disfigurement

Rejection By One’s Peers

Telling The Truth But Not Being Believed

The Death of a Child On One’s Watch

Victimization via Identity Theft

Watching A Loved One Die

Wrongful Imprisonment

Spending Time In Jail

Suffering From a Learning Disability

Motivation

Achieving Spiritual Enlightenment

Avoiding Certain Death

Avoiding Financial Ruin

Beating a Diagnosis or Condition

Being Acknowledged and Appreciated by Family

Being a Leader of Others

Being the Best At Something

Caring for an Aging Parent

Carrying on a Legacy

Catching The Bad Guy or Girl

Coming To Grips With Mental Illness

Discovering One’s True Self

Escaping a Dangerous Life one Doesn’t Want

Escaping a Killer

Escaping a Widespread Disaster

Escaping Confinement

Escaping Homelessness

Escaping Invaders

Finding Friendship or Companionship

Finding a Lifelong Partner

Having a Child

Helping a Loved One See They Are Hurting Themselves and Others

Obtaining Shelter From The Elements

Overcoming Abuse and Learning To Trust

Overcoming Addiction

Protecting One’s Home or Property

Pursuing Justice For Oneself or Others

Realizing a Dream

Reconciling with an Estranged Family Member

Rescuing a Loved One From a Captor

Restoring A Name or Reputation

Righting a Deep Wrong

Seeking Out One’s Biological Roots

Stopping an Event From Happening

Trying Again When One Has Previously Failed

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[scarfninjawrites]

NaNoWriMo Days 1-12

Yes, I am aware that I'm the worst blogger ever, but wow I didn't even realize that this was a longer stretch of time without updating than I realized. I would consider myself a try-hard when it comes to NaNoWriMo. Despite the fact that this is one of the busiest months of the year, I've always tried to write as much as possible each day so I can knock out 50k pretty quickly. 

To which I mean, knocking it out before week one is even over. 

 I think some context is required. 

The first year I did NaNoWriMo, it was 2013. I was a huge fan of the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer. I remember when I finished reading Scarlet, I immediately needed to read the sequel, which honestly hadn’t been a feeling I had when reading too often. That ending killed me and I would have loved to score an ARC copy of Cress.

I heard of NaNo about 2 years back and always considered doing it, but I was pretty busy in high school so it never looked like it would be possible. By that point, I didn’t really have any ideas for a novel either, so I just stuck to brainstorming them. By my first year of college, I had plenty of ideas I wanted to write, so it was just a matter of motivating myself to do it.

Lo and behold, Marissa announced a contest for NaNoWriMo - whoever on her friends list wrote the most amount of words throughout the entire month would win an ARC copy of Cress. Also, anyone who wrote more than her in general would win some sweet swag. This was all the motivation that I needed in order to sign up.

I remember being surprised that first day at how much I wrote, and how much I continued to write throughout the month in order to win that ARC. Sadly, I did not, but I still beat her word count by... a lot. What motivated me was going to her friends list and looking at their word counts to see how I ranked. For the most part, I managed to stay in the top 5 or 6. This was one of the few times I’ve ever seriously gotten competitive over something.

She didn’t run the event again from what I can remember, but after my first year, I pushed myself again the next NaNo to write a whole lot. By which I mean, average 10k a day. 

Yeah. You heard that right. 

I had very little going on in my first two years of college, so I spent my free time in November writing at every opportunity, and sprinting until my fingers fell off. Even in my junior year, I anticipated going in and coming out with the same output when I managed on the first day to write the most I’ve ever written in a single day - 20,005 words. Before you ask how, I think I’ll save that story for another day.

But from junior year onwards, I started to feel like writing 10k a day every day for the month just... wasn’t possible anymore. For one, I became much busier and had other things to do (classwork, school activities, my job, etc) and two... writing actually became less fun when I worried more about the output. Even with a detailed outline, I would skip over a lot of fun bits in scenes because I wouldn’t take the time to consider what I needed or wanted in the chapter. Sprints at this point have been ruined for me, albeit temporarily. I would still personally recommend them because I know I get a decent amount of mileage from them, but they make me seriously self-conscious as to the quality of the work, even when it’s a first draft.

Now, I still personally prefer to get that 50k requirement out of the way as soon as possible (which, yes, I have done at this point), just because I don’t like that hanging over my head. It makes me worry over hitting a goal rather than sitting down to enjoy writing the book. When I’m working with a smaller goal and just focusing on fleshing out a scene or chapter, it’s infinitely much more satisfying.

As for the content of the novel itself, I think I’ll talk about that later. There were some interesting developments (like having a much “dreamier” atmosphere) that I didn’t expect this time around that I really like and I think justifies the mass amount of dreampop and shoegaze I’ve been listening to. I have a new favorite song that I can’t wait to talk about (if I haven’t already, but I don’t think I have), and it’s become the basis for one of my favorite scenes in the second half. It’s so iconic and visual, I love it! And of course, it’s in Maria’s POV so that makes it the best. 

So tomorrow I think I’ll get into more detail about that, but also the order in which I’m writing the novel - or lack thereof. Which is also not what I expected, but worth discussing. 

[scarfninjawrites]

Writing Update - October Week #1

Just moments ago, I’ve managed to finish outlining the first half of the book, which means both halves are now outlined! And it’s sitting at a pretty decent sized 15k, which was more than what I was expecting. I might just go through it again to make it a bit more specific. I find when I include more details, the chapters end up writing themselves. Following that, I have to organize my set up in Scrivener. 

My new goal for this week is to write at least one other post on this blog that isn’t just a short update from last week. Something that isn’t just a music recommendation. 

[scarfninjawrites]

Writing Update - End of September!

Almost done writing up half of the outline! My goal is to finish Part 2 (the part I started with) either tonight or tomorrow, and then do about five chapters every night for the rest of this week. I can’t believe there’s only one month left until NaNoWriMo.

[scarfninjawrites]

Writing Update - September Writing Week 4

I’ve managed to write a very sketchy outline. By which I mean, I have a series of bullet points that constitute “scenes”, which make up the chapters, and thus, entire storylines. All that’s left to do is expand on these points and then I have the story ready to go. Other than the other expansions on my notes I have to do, but that’s whatever.

So I want to try something different this time when I draft, and that’s actually to write the second half of the book before the first half. I don’t really have a reason or a proper explanation for why I want to do this, but it just makes sense to me. Like I want the entire book to be memorable to me, but whenever I draft, the second half tends to drag in places more than the first half. Half of it is plotting reasons (which I have to be more careful of this time around) and the other half is usually because I write it at a much slower pace. Hopefully, these new developments make things flow more smoothly this time around. 

[scarfninjawrites]

Writing Update - September Week 3

Hey look I actually remembered to update this week on time.

So in a bit of an unexpected twist, I decided to start jumping into the outline a couple of days ago. I already had an idea of what it was going to look like, and wanted to wait until October, but I remember hearing advice from someone to just start it now. It isn’t thorough or anything, more just like a list of scenes for each chapter, which I later have to expand. It’s going pretty much as I expected.

Which means The Book of Mortals was completely easy to outline, and the Book of Immortals is... not.

The first half of the book is more straightforward, and there isn’t a lot of intersecting points between the two storylines. They’re told at different points in time, so it doesn’t get very complicated. The second half, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of that. In the past, I would just outline the first half by doing each character separately, and then doing everyone all at once for the second half. But I don’t think that’s going to work as well this time around, because now both girls have other subplots that don’t intersect as much as they did last time.

Since it’s just a rough sketch so far, I know I can always add in more or change the order for it to make more sense later, but I can definitely predict myself getting stuck on it for at least a couple of days, maybe a week. I thankfully still have a month and a half to go.

[scarfninjawrites]

September Weeks 1 + 2 Writing Update

Yeah, I’m already off to a strong start by forgetting that I was supposed to be doing weekly posts. But hey, I’ve gotten plenty of things done for the book so far, so at least I have more material to work with.

THINGS I WORKED ON IN AUGUST:

--> Research. Basically gathering information about the major cities in the book, like population and demographics, especially in the time period it’s set in. Also, taking note of 90s fashion trends, political and major events, technology, etc. I even started keeping a playlist of videos I watched for this, which is definitely my preferred method of doing research. 

--> Worldbuilding. So most of this has stayed the same since draft one, but after I rushed out those two drafts (see last post about why this is a terrible idea), I realized I needed more rules (duh), and also develop the history of the supernatural. I can’t really go into too much depth about it at this point, because I know there’s still more to do, but I’ll be coming back to this sometime around the second half of the month. 

THINGS I’M WORKING ON FOR SEPTEMBER

--> Cleaning up character profiles. Stuff like fleshing out backstory and getting to know them better as people. Sometimes, there’s things I won’t know about them until I actually write them in a scene, but there are little details I’ve already had to change to accommodate for the next draft. Favorite part by far has to be working out the timeline of events (like when certain characters met), and developing familial ties (even though siblings tend to be minor characters for the most part). I like having little details that don’t really matter to the plot, but give characters more range to play around with. 

--> Another round of research. I definitely don’t have enough. I don’t even know if I’ll have enough by the time November rolls around. But screw it, I’m writing this for NaNoWriMo anyway.

I’m hoping to start doing these consistently on Sundays, since I can write a recap of what I focused on the previous week, and set goals for the upcoming week. Sundays also tend to be my least productive and most relaxing days, so it’s perfect for writing blog posts.

[scarfninjawrites]

August Writing Update! (aka I admit to my most embarrassing writing sin #exposed)

Last I posted was a month ago, which is still an improvement for the course of this year.

Still, I did get a bit distracted by my part-time job, and using most of my free time not being productive. Like, life is so weird when you don’t have school to structure your schedule around, and your job doesn’t give consistent hours across the board, so you just have to approach it day by day.

But for the month of August, I’ve decided it was time to get back into writing and focusing in on The Twilight Court. I did a read-through of the latest draft and came to the most amazing conclusion:

It needs to be rewritten. Again.

The good news is that Draft 2 is nowhere near as disastrously bad as Draft 1. It is indeed closer to what the final product should end up looking like. That being said, it still needs a lot of work. From my previous readthrough, here’s some of the things I’ve noted:

--> The Book of Mortals is definitely the stronger and more focused half of the book, with Anne’s POV feeling the most consistent. I still think Yoko’s storyline isn’t terrible, but it needs more conflict. Going into Draft 3, I’m going to be focusing in on Veronica some more and fleshing out her friendship with Yoko, so their decisions later on in the story feel earned.

--> The Book of Immortals, on the other hand, needs more direction. Thankfully, I’ve introduced a change to Leira’s backstory that will also impact Maria’s storyline as well. This involves a character I’ve never mentioned before and will continue to not mention by name (I’ll probably talk about him in the future, but I promise nothing). This means that Leira’s birthday was changed (in terms of the year she was born, the actual day is still the same though). Fun fact: she is now sired on the day I was born. Another fun fact: I am now 23. 

I still can’t believe it either.

--> Out of any character, Anne’s scenes are the most likely to stick around and have the least amount of things change about them in the next draft. Well, as of right now. I still haven’t outlined for Draft 3 yet, so anything is fair game at this point. But out of anyone else’s story, hers needs the least amount of damage control.

Right now, I’ve been reorganizing my documents and focusing in on research and the world building of the story. One of my biggest regrets writing fantasy (whether other world or urban) is that I never would stop myself from jumping straight into writing without doing proper research or worldbuilding. 

To all the new writers out there, do not do this. I know it’s tempting to just jump straight into your story and hit all of those key, emotional moments, or to write this conversation where two characters hit it off well, or to finally see the squad assembled. But it will save you a massive headache in the long run, and actually having these elements settled before outlining or writing gives you more plot material to work with. Also, having rules set up limits you from writing unsatisfying resolutions, and forces you to think more creatively. 

It’s not as tempting for me now to just straight into the story now. I’ve written it twice and have two versions of it. I know putting in the proper time and effort for the infrastructure of the book will pay off in the long run. There’s no need to rush it, because I already have the story in some form. 

My goal for this blog is to slowly start updating it more and more. A weekly blog post shouldn’t be too difficult. Hopefully, by October when I am planning to outline for Draft 3, I can do more than just one post per week. But with the return of school comes the return of the holidays and thus, the holiday rush at work. Hopefully, things aren’t too hectic, but it is retail...

[scarfninjawrites]

Ignoring the fact that I haven't posted on here in like five months, on this day 20 years ago, Yoko arrives in Santa Monica to study witchcraft for the summer (Yoko 1, The Book of Mortals).

[scarfninjawrites]

Happy Birthday, Maria Valentina!! (aka my first real attempt to celebrate character birthdays)

NAME: Maria Valentina

BORN: January 12, 1950 (68 years old today!)

SIRED: February 14, 1968

ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Capricorn

ASSOCIATED COLOR: Red

HOBBIES: Reading (mostly academic/scholarly stuff like textbooks, mythology, anything on the ocean, with doses of fiction here and there), dance (ballet is her first love), observing nature

BASIC BIO: Maria was one of two girls born to Eduardo and Jasmine (surname withheld for spoiler reasons). Eduardo grew up in an American orphanage, with the only knowledge of his Filipino heritage coming from a letter his parents wrote many years ago. Jasmine was born and raised in the Philippines by her loving family. She met Eduardo during World War II, with her family quickly arranging for her to be married to him. The couple finally moved in together around 1947 thanks to the War Brides Act. They decided to save up a little money before starting their family near San Diego.

Compared to her twin sister, Maria was a quiet child. Very quiet and very contemplative. It was common to find her in three places - 1. In the library with her face in a book, 2. In the ballet studio or 3. At the park, sitting by the lake. Other than her sister and the girls in her dance classes, she had very few friends, and almost none that close to her. 

As she entered her teen years, she began to feel more distant from people as they took interest in romantic pursuits, and she did not. Her mother wanted to set up a marriage for both her and her sister, but Maria fought vehemently to go away to school and study history, her best subject. Her dream was academic scholarship, despite the odds of her ever obtaining it. Just as her parents were willing to give her a chance and support her dreams, she was attacked on February 14, 1968, just a month after turning eighteen, and nearly died. However, intervention from her sire, Trenton, brought her back as a vampire, causing her to desire revenge upon her attackers.

Maria was not the name she was given at birth, but a name she adopted after her siring. Her sister went missing around the same time, with Maria presuming her murdered. She believes the only way to for her sister to rest peacefully is if she finds and kills the man that ended her life.

MUSIC: I Am Shell I Am Bone - Gazelle Twin // Throw It All Away - Everett Bradley // Rootless - Marina and the Diamonds // Downer - Lush // I Remember - Saint Saviour // Paper Boy - Rebekka Karijord // Concrete Mother - Gazelle Twin // The Sea - Chiasm // Pauline - Darling Violetta // Nella Fantasia - Sarah Brightman // Delay - Chiasm // I Turn My Arm - Gazelle Twin // I talk to the rain - Yuki Kajiura // Fly in the Freedom - Tabitha Fair

OTHER SOUNDS: ocean waves // rain // toe tapping // flute // thunder and lightning // howling winds // running water

(BEST) QUOTES/MOMENTS:  Can I just say every moment Maria is there is the best? No? (Bolded parts are her talking, plain italics is someone else in the convo).

“I still can’t believe he named that place Bloody Sanctuary. It’s like he wanted to give us more reasons to hate him.” “He does try pathetically hard to do that.”

“So it’s like legal drugs.” “If we have to make everything about drugs, sure, why not?”

“I’d love for the two of you to be able to go to school next year, and have only university struggles be your only source of worries. You don’t need to worry about an immortal vampire king. In this life, you don’t get a whole lot of options like that.”

“I can give you time to think it over if you wish. I’m sure you haven’t fully realized the weight of what’s being asked of you. I understand if it’s a bit much for you to process.” “Well how thoughtful of you. But what you really need to understand is that I’m not interested in playing any of your little mind games. No deal.”

“I think this is the last time you’ll be seeing me. Learn to take a hint. Desperation isn’t a good look on anyone.”

“She’s never taken this long. I hope she hasn’t forgotten.” “If it’s on purpose, then it doesn’t count as ‘forgetting’” “You sure know how to lift the mood, cadet.” “I wasn’t raised to be a cheerleader, Captain.”

“It seems you didn’t get the memo. This is Los Angeles, not the Wild West. Take your wannabe cowboy costume back to the party store, it’s not Halloween or April Fools’ Day.”

“If you’re going to judge me for my eating habits, then I’m going to judge you for your pool skills. I expect nothing less than a flawless victory, otherwise Juan wins the game by default.”

[scarfninjawrites]

Character Birthdays (Part 1)

I have three characters from TTC with December birthdays! I would have posted on each of their days but work kept getting in the way! Anyway, happy birthday to Yoko (December 2, 38 years old today), Laci (December 13, 44 years old today), and Betty (TODAY!, 37 years old)! It's late now, so I'll talk more about them in another post. Just wanted to try commemorating so they feel more real!

[scarfninjawrites]

NaNoWriMo Days 29 +30

And so it ends!

Song of Choice: Turn My Arm - Gazelle Twin (Yeah, I know, a repeat, but you don’t understand. Gazelle Twin haunts me, even at work).

So sadly, I still don’t have anything new to share. Other than the weird scene yesterday where one character obsessed over the gunk inside pumpkins being the stuff of their nightmares. 

I’ll probably do a longer post detailing my full NaNo experience in a couple of days or something.

[scarfninjawrites]

NaNoWriMo Days 17-28

Song of Choice: Concrete Mother by Gazelle Twin

Um. Oops.

Work picked up a lot last week due to the holidays. This week is looking to be a bit normal, but it’ll pick up again soon enough.

Mostly enjoying writing Maria’s chapters. Leira’s not as much. I think it’s because Leira’s chapters haven’t picked up nearly as much as Maria’s have. 

Discovery: The Entire City is a Maria album in a nutshell. And if I make another one of these posts, you can bet I’m picking another Gazelle Twin song.

(I literally had no idea what GIF to end this with, so enjoy something ripply and colorful)

[scarfninjawrites]

NaNo Days 11-16

Song of Choice: Like a Virgin - Madonna

tbh I don’t have much to share from these last few days. Today, I was working through Leira’s second chapter, and it’s a doozy. Oh man, it’s gonna be downhill from here.

[scarfninjawrites]

NaNoWriMo Day 10

Song of Choice: I Turn My Arm by Gazelle Twin

Kind of a sad scene today. Still in Maria’s second chapter, and she has to leave behind some friends.

And I still haven’t gotten to Leira’s first two chapters and those are going to be a train wreck.

[scarfninjawrites]

NaNoWriMo Days 7-9

Song of Choice: It’s Raining Somewhere Else from Undertale. Also, mostly white noise, like ocean waves.

Favorite Line: “If you’re going to judge me for my eating habits, then I’m going to judge you for your pool skills. I expect nothing less than a flawless victory, otherwise Juan wins the game by default.” “How is that a fair rule?” “I never claimed that. I just said I’d be judging you a lot.”

Maria is merciless. She doesn’t hold back.

Not much is going on. I’ve got work now, so I’m writing at a more leisurely pace. I’m probably just going to coast comfortably through Part 2, so I can enjoy Maria’s wonderful snark.

(This because Maria is so done 80% of the time)